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Vishnoy Vadakkancheri defeated competitors from across Henrico County Jan. 15 to become Henrico Schools’ 2019 Divisionwide Spelling Bee champion. The Moody Middle School eighth-grader won in Round 11 by correctly spelling “domiciliated,” a word meaning "establishing residence."
The contest brings together spelling champions from each of HCPS’ 45 elementary schools and 12 middle schools to determine who will represent Henrico County Public Schools at the regional competition. Short Pump Middle School sixth-grader Adam Edwards was runner-up.
Among the words the 13-year-old Vadakkancheri spelled to win the title were “verisimilitude,” “kielbasa” and “animadversion.”
With Vadakkancheri’s win, Moody becomes the second school to host Henrico Schools’ new spelling trophy. The trophy, topped with a whimsical bee, was made possible by a donation from four-time Henrico spelling champion Tejas Muthusamy. Muthusamy, now a student at Maggie Walker Governor’s School, donated money for the trophy to the Henrico Education Foundation, which had the trophy made.
Each year the winner’s name is added to the trophy and resides with the student’s school until a new champion is crowned. At the bee’s conclusion Tuesday, 2018 champion Joseph Chambers presented the trophy to Vadakkancheri.
Vadakkancheri next will compete in the Richmond Times-Dispatch Regional Spelling Bee March 9 at the Library of Virginia. The regional winner will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which is held in late May and televised by ESPN.
